You can spend the next minute scrolling through Instagram if you want—or you can pick up a potentially handy skill.

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Sharpen Your Knife With a Knife Steel

Sharpen Your Knife With a Knife Steel

Cooking with a dull knife can turn an enjoyable experience into a chore. Keep the kitchen cutlery sharp by properly honing blades with a steel. Here's how:

1. Hold the steel in your non-dominant hand and press the tip straight down on a clean cutting board.

2. Grip the knife with your dominant hand and place the back of the knife at the top of the steel so both handles are close together.

3. Angle the blade to the steel at about 20 degrees. (Pro tip: Start at 90-degrees, then half the angle, then half it again.)

4. Maintaining the 20-degree angle, slice down the steel, pulling back on the knife so that you run the length of the knife just before you've reached the cutting board.

5. Repeat about five times on each side.

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Tie a Bowline Knot

Tie a Bowline Knot

Tying a rope is one of the most practical skills to have in your arsenal, and 99 percent of the time, a bowline is the best knot for the job. Not only does it offer a rock solid hold, it can be tied and untied in seconds, even after bearing tension.

1. Create a loop.

2. Create a second loop behind the first and partially feed it through that first loop.

3. Pass the end of the line (fed through whatever you're hitching) through the tip of the second loop.

Sharpen Your Knife With a Knife Steel

Cooking with a dull knife can turn an enjoyable experience into a chore. Keep the kitchen cutlery sharp by properly honing blades with a steel. Here's how:

1. Hold the steel in your non-dominant hand and press the tip straight down on a clean cutting board.

2. Grip the knife with your dominant hand and place the back of the knife at the top of the steel so both handles are close together.

3. Angle the blade to the steel at about 20 degrees. (Pro tip: Start at 90-degrees, then half the angle, then half it again.)

4. Maintaining the 20-degree angle, slice down the steel, pulling back on the knife so that you run the length of the knife just before you've reached the cutting board.

5. Repeat about five times on each side.

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Tie a Bowline Knot

Tying a rope is one of the most practical skills to have in your arsenal, and 99 percent of the time, a bowline is the best knot for the job. Not only does it offer a rock solid hold, it can be tied and untied in seconds, even after bearing tension.

1. Create a loop.

2. Create a second loop behind the first and partially feed it through that first loop.

3. Pass the end of the line (fed through whatever you're hitching) through the tip of the second loop.

4. Tighten.

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Turn Heads With a Whistle

Getting someone's attention is not only incredibly useful—depending on the circumstances, it can be lifesaving.

1. Form a V by pointing the index and middle fingers of both hands towards your face and touching your middle fingers together.

2. Pull your lips in over your teeth.

3. Insert the V into your mouth, touching the bottom of your tongue with your fingers and pulling your tongue back so it's folded over itself.

4. Blow through the space between your fingers. If you don't get a sound at first, try moving your fingers in and out a little until you find the sweet spot.

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Pick a Lock

There are two reasons to learn how to pick a lock. One is obvious—to open your door if you're ever locked out. The second just-as-valuable reason is to know how easy it is for someone else to unlock your home. Noted.

1. Insert a tension wrench in the bottom of the keyhole and apply mild pressure in the direction you want to turn the mechanism. It should be enough so the pins inside the keyhole stay when set, but not so much you can't move them in the first place.

2. Using a pick, lightly scrub the top of the inside of the lock.

3. As you feel the pins begin to slide into place, increase the pressure exerted by the pick.

4. Once all the pins have been set, you should be able to turn the tension wrench like a key. If you can't get the lock to open, adjust the amount of tension exerted by the wrench and start.

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Boost Your Confidence and Reduce Stress

2. Stand up straight and lift your chin. Taking on a tall, expansive posture makes you feel more powerful than shrinking into a drawn-in position. Plus, the superhero stance releases confidence-boosting testosterone, so you'll literally, instantly get a hit of chemical confidence.

3. Hold the position for one minute prior to an interview, review, or public speech.

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Sabre a Champagne Bottle

Wedding? Job promotion? Breakfast after the wedding or job promotion? Whatever you're celebrating, opening your champagne with a blade is as awesome as it is impressive.

1. Start with a chilled bottle (place it upside down in an ice bucket to get the neck nice and cold).

2. Completely remove the foil and muselet (the wire cage over the cork).

3. Find the seam on the side of the bottle and, keeping the seam pointed up, hold the bottle in your non-dominant hand.

4. Put the blade on the seam, just north of the label. Keeping the blade at a slight angle, slice up the bottle toward the tip; it'll crack the neck, and pressure will shoot the whole end off. Cheers!

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Cook Anything Over an Open Fire

Whether you're out camping or want to cook a full meal on the grill, this simple trick opens up a world of culinary possibilities.

2. Lay out a piece of foil large enough to fully enclose your ingredients. If you think less direct heat is needed, use enough to wrap your food twice.

3. Seal in your food, rolling or twisting the seams of the foil to keep the moisture in.

4. Place the packet on the grill or in a bed of coals. (Avoid putting it directly in campfire flames.)

5. When enough cooking time has passed, extract the little package and enjoy. (Long, thick oven mitts work well for retrieving food from campfires.)

Illustrated by Christopher Wright

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Run a Faster Mile

Sure, you have your regular jogging route, but you feel like you've plateaued when it comes to speed. This half-minute drill will get you well on your way to shaving some time off your mile. Start by repeating it two times a week, and work your way up to four or five.

1. Once you're fully warmed up, find a hill with a 6 to 10 percent incline (enough to tire you out at a walking pace), and note your position.

2. Sprint up the hill for 30 seconds.

3. Walk or jog back down to your starting position.

4. Repeat as many times as you can, depending on your fitness level, working your way up to 20 hill sprints.